Archive By Section - Local Sports

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has some interesting weekend wildlife opportunities available for residents of the region, ranging from viewing cranes to trips to visitor's centers. Following are a few January weekend events.

Several years ago during the month of January, I was out competing in a bass tournament on Lake Camanche. The weather was very similar to what it is now, so I was prepared for rain. The morning started out cold and damp as expected. There wasn't any rain though, which made it nice. Just as the sun was coming up, over one of the mountains, an obvious storm cloud was coming my way. Within minutes my partner and I were fishing in the middle of one the most beautiful storms that I can ever remember. As strange as it ...

Eric Mendoza, 11, of Oakdale shoots from outside in fourth quarter action in the Davis High School 20th Anniversary Freshman Basketball Tournament over the holiday break. In this contest, on Tuesday, Dec. 28, the youngest Mustangs fell to Riverbank by a 55-35 final score.

The New Year has arrived and for OHS winter sports teams, so will Valley Oak League action. Both boys and girls basketball and Oakdale's wrestlers were in action this week as they capped off non-conference play. Here is a quick glance at how they fared.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has some interesting weekend wildlife opportunities available for residents of the region, ranging from viewing cranes to trips to visitor's centers. Following are a few January weekend events.

Like every New Year, for the past 16 years, I was in Arizona visiting the in-laws. Unlike the past 16 years it was colder than it has ever been over there. Thinking that I'd be smart and bring only one sweater, I definitely should have checked the weather report before leaving. The fishing out there is so much more different than on the Delta. Because of the intense heat, most of their fishing is done through the night. Locals primarily fish the Colorado River which is like our Delta in many ways. Unlike the Delta, the Colorado River doesn ...

Last week we recapped memorable sports stories from January to June of 2015 that graced the pages of The Oakdale Leader. This week, we continue the look back on the storylines that took place during the second half of 2015. From action under the Friday night lights, welcoming new coaches, league champions, to epic soccer playoffs, and more, there was plenty of sporting news in the community.

The Oakdale varsity Lady Mustangs basketball team has hit a bit of a rough patch. Since starting the preseason off 4-0, the team has dropped three of their last five. Oakdale played in a trio of games this past week, where the team went 1-2.

After a two year absence from the world of Mixed Martial Arts, Modesto native Michael "Mayday" McDonald returns to combat in the octagon. The 24-year-old, who trains out of Oakdale, last fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Dec. 14, 2013 against "The California Kid" Urijah Faber. McDonald lost in the second round, and the former champion stepped away from the sport until now.

The other day while I was reading through some online fishing forums, I came across a picture of a new bass boat that was rigged with a 400 horsepower outboard motor. That's easily a 90 plus mph boat! Most bass boats rigged with an engine over 200 horsepower can run in the 70's. I can't imagine what a boat with 400 horsepower can run. If you've ever seen a bass boat running at top speed, there's very little of the boat actually in the water. The good news is that most tournament organizations put limitations ...

With 2015 in the books, let's take a few moments to reflect on the sporting events and stories from the first half of the year that was. From the 64th annual PRCA Oakdale Rodeo, to hard hitting MMA action, to the loss of an Oakdale football legend, to Oakdale Mustangs achievements, the first half of 2015 was an exciting time for our sports community.

Someday I hope to tell stories of how bad the water hyacinth used to be on the Delta. As much as I love the protection and security that it provides our fish, I'm beginning to despise it as it's made it nearly impossible to launch and navigate certain areas on the Delta. Several years ago there was an effort to control the water hyacinth by spraying it but it's since made a resurgence. In my lifetime, I've never seen the water hyacinth as bad as it's been this year and am really starting to wonder ...

Coming off their huge performance at the 40th James Riddle Tournament where six Mustang grapplers took first place honors, Oakdale made their presence felt at the Marty Manges Invite at Casa Robles High School. Nine wrestlers finished in the top 10. Three Oakdale wrestlers were named champions, a trio of grapplers took second place, the Mustangs had a pair of third place finishers and an eighth place 220-pounder. The Mustangs took first place as a team to claim their second tournament victory in as many tries in 2015.